Sunset Rising

I gave a snort of understanding. “And he never stopped to think that the bread was a slap in the face considering all the food on display in the Dome.”

“Exactly—it’s a mistake that Holt is going to repeat over and over again because he doesn’t know what he did wrong. Life has never been good down here, but it’s worked. It’s worked because despite how people feel about their president, they still believe their leader is rational, sane, and knows best how to run the Dome. But the Holts have always been tyrants, and this one is particularly bad. Damien is insane. He’s cut back your rations and increased your workloads, and he’s also given free license to the guards and supervisors down here to keep you in line any way they choose. People are getting scared and desperate, and they’re finally losing faith in their leader.”

Jack was making a lot of sense. I had felt the tension he was talking about in my own life. We really weren’t being given enough food to have the energy to perform our jobs, especially the miners, which only incited the wrath of our supervisors. There were more guards now too, restricting whatever freedoms we had enjoyed in the past. Yet despite how bad life had become, the thought of war inside the Dome was scary.

“War is a bad idea. The president holds all the power and we have none,” I said. I sat down heavily. Things were looking bleak.

“I think the ball is already rolling, Su

“Then maybe we could try to control it. You have a military background, and you seem to know an awful lot about how the bourge run things down here. When you go to work in the mines, share your knowledge with everyone. Teach them to fight, like you’re teaching me. Give them what they need to defend themselves.”

He shook his head. “It would never work.”

“You can’t know that unless you try.”

“The only way I can teach them to fight is to expose who I am. Do you honestly think the miners are going to tolerate me pretending to be one of them? No one down here is going to accept me.”

“Reyes already knows who you are. He can help you.”

“Reyes? If he didn’t already have anger management issues, he certainly does now that I’ve married his girlfriend! He isn’t going to help me. In fact, he’s probably the first one in line to kill me.”

A loud alarm rang out in the hallway, and Jack put his hands over his ears to block out the sound.

“The lockdown is over. You were right.”

I retrieved Jack’s t-shirt off the floor and threw it to him. I grabbed my hat and put it on.

“Forgetting something?” he asked. I look around not sure what he meant. “The vest. Put it back on.”

“Right.”

I went into the bedroom and put it on. It felt heavier for some reason. I pulled my t-shirt over it and then put my hat on. I was back to being Autumn Jones.

“I know where the laundry room is, do you know where you’re going?” I asked as I came back into the living room.

“Two miles down into the bowels of the Dome.”

“At the end of the work day, we’ll meet back here, okay?” I held the door open for him.

“Yeah, provided we make it through the day.”

People were pouring out of their apartments and heading in all directions, going to their places of work. We joined the flow and headed for the stairs. As we reached them, Jack gently took my arm and turned me towards him.

“Be careful. I don’t want to get stuck down here alone.”

“You, too.”

We both knew it might be the last time we ever saw each other.

Chapter Fourteen

I watched Jack walk down the stairs until I couldn’t see him anymore. I hoped Reyes and his friends would reconcile themselves to him. Reyes never actually said how he felt about Jack’s presence down there, but judging by the murderous glares he was giving him, I was going to go with hate. I should have talked to Reyes about him when I had the chance.

As I climbed the stairs to the second-level laundry room, my anxiety at coming closer to the main floor of the Dome grew. All I had to do was climb just one more level, and I would be standing right in front of the well-guarded reception area to the Dome. I wondered how long it would take for someone to recognize me. Would they shoot me on the spot? Or take me back to Holt to be dealt with? I think I preferred to be shot on sight.

I hated to admit it, but I was feeling vulnerable being separated from Jack. He was my partner in crime. If I were going to be caught and dragged back to his apartment to await my sentencing, I wanted it to be with him. As selfish as it may be, I didn’t want to die alone.

I approached the laundry room and saw people coming and going with carts full of laundry. I came as soon as the lockdown ended, so I wasn’t sure how I could be late. Being late would not be a great way to start my job here. Tentatively, I entered the hot room and looked for someone in charge.

“Over here,” said someone sitting behind a desk as they motioned toward me.

At first I wasn’t sure if the person was a man or a woman, but on closer inspection, I saw she had breasts. She was stocky and had a shadow of facial hair above her lip. A sign on her desk read “Supervisor Madi,” a female name.

“You must be Autumn Jones. I got a message this morning telling me to expect you. About time I got extra help around here. I’m Supervisor Madi, and you’ll scan in with me personally every morning.”

She held out the sca

“Come with me,” Supervisor Madi said, getting up from behind her desk to lead me through the laundry room. It was bustling with activity, and I tried not to get in anyone’s way. There were clothes and linens everywhere, and I had to watch where I stepped.

We approached an older woman. “Di, got one for you to train. Her name’s Autumn Jones,” Supervisor Madi said and then left us without any further introductions.

Di looked up from her work and gave me a warm smile. I instantly liked her kind face and tired eyes. Her black hair was caught up in a bun, but a few strands had come loose, and she brushed them away from her eyes. She looked to be in her thirties.

“Am I glad to see you! We sure can use the extra help.” She extended her hand to me, and I took it. She clasped both her hands around mine and gave me a tight squeeze. “I’m Di. Actually, my name is Diamond. My father worked in the diamond mines and thought the rocks were pretty, so he named me after them.” She laughed. “I can’t stand the name, so I shortened it to Di. I don’t mind Di.”

“I know what you mean.” The words tumbled out before I knew what I was saying.

“Why? Autumn’s a pretty enough name. What would you shorten that to?”

I shrugged. “Forget it. I’m just nervous.” I would have to be more careful in the future. I was no longer Sunset O’Do

“Well, it’s not a glamorous job in here. All kinds of things end up on clothes, like people getting sick or losing control of their bowels—that one’s always fun.” She rolled her eyes. “And it all comes down here to be washed. Just be careful with the sorting. You don’t want to get that stuff on your hands—you’d be sick before you know it. I sort the clothes by whites, colors, and darks and then make a special pile for the really soiled clothes. Those ones have to be washed by hand first.” Di paused to look around and then said in a conspiratorial voice, “They get sent over to Crystal to get washed, and I don’t mind at all. She’s a stuck up little thing because she has a good singing voice. Not that anyone down here would know. She only sings for the bourge.” I was glad she mentioned it. Crystal might just be the type to turn me in and collect the credits.